Marina Dora Martino | Self-Publishing Review

Review: Across the Divide by Elizabeth Bernays

A charming memoir by entomologist and writer Elizabeth Bernays, Across the Divide: The Strangest Love Affair explores new forms of love later in life. Joyful, but also profound and reflective, the book is an enchanting and memorable read that mixes levity with deep emotion.

With eloquent and engaging prose, Bernays tells of her complex and beautiful relationship with a married woman in her 50s. Linda and Elizabeth fell in love despite their differences, after both had been married to men. Both of them led successful careers and had experienced loving marriages, but they couldn’t be more different as people, and […]

Marina Dora Martino2023-08-24T13:31:57+02:00June 29th, 2023|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: LGBTQI+ Book Reviews, Memoir Book Reviews|

Karma Comes In Red by Morgan James

Mystery, drama, and love are at the heart of Karma Comes In Red (The Beyond Mysteries Book 4), an engrossing, slow-burning noir by Morgan James. The sleepy town of Beyond in North Carolina becomes the stage of some strange events, as John, an ex-military who fought in Afghanistan, finds himself in a deadly fight with a man from out of town making wild claims. Meanwhile, Paula, his girlfriend, and a perceptive writer, welcomes a shadowy guest in her B&B who may help solve the mystery of the violent intruder. Walking the edge of the supernatural, James is especially adept […]

Marina Dora Martino2023-06-28T19:58:53+02:00June 28th, 2023|Categories: Editorial Reviews|

Review: Unlock Happiness by Mastering the Self by Shobeir Shobeyri

A spiritual meditation focused on achieving balance, harmony, and self-control, Unlock Happiness by Mastering the Self by Shobeir Shobeyri is an original and comprehensive take on self-help. Deploying an accessible and aphoristic style, Shobeyri details his philosophy on life with the same clarity and control he recommends readers put into their own lives.

The book begins with Shobeyri’s vision of the human self as divided into body, soul, and mind. The body is the locus of action: physical wants push us to achieve, and satisfy the needs of remaining alive. The soul has more elevated desires, which in its turn […]

Marina Dora Martino2023-08-17T10:01:06+02:00June 16th, 2023|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Self-Help Book Reviews|

A Snowball in Summer by George Sanchez

A Snowball in Summer by George Sanchez is a remarkable piece of diaristic fiction telling the story of a hard-won love. Genuine and compelling, Sanchez’s style has the immediacy of real-world speech, the brilliance of well-crafted storytelling, and unforgettable characters in a vibrantly described New Orleans.

Bryna and Jeff might not be seen as an ordinary couple – their story is peppered with affairs, despair, ghosts from the past, but also unrelenting love. After many years together, and three children, they still desire each other passionately and even more profoundly than their early days.

When Jeff is away in the […]

Marina Dora Martino2023-06-16T13:54:46+02:00June 15th, 2023|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Contemporary Fiction Book Reviews|

Delos: The Moon’s Eye by Blake Miller

Propelled by Blake Miller’s rich imagination and command of the genre, Delos: The Moon’s Eye is a memorable work of fantasy that moves across different planets and dimensions. With a unique take on magical rules, Miller’s story also touches on deep topics such as love, friendship, trust, and care for the environment within a sprawling and inventive tale.

Cynthia and Kaden are twins with incredible powers, hiding on Earth while the powerful Iblis Arrayal searches for them across the galaxies. With the arrival of Sorra, Arrayal’s nephew, and her scheming mother Mirra, the twins find their enemy to be much […]

Marina Dora Martino2023-06-12T14:50:25+02:00June 11th, 2023|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Fantasy Book Reviews|

The Perfect Revenge: The Dragonfly Rises by WilD

Eloquently portraying the many shades of grief and loss, but also of healing and renewal, The Perfect Revenge: The Dragonfly Rises by WilD is a brilliant, emotive novel with a tough inner core.

Zoey lives happily with her loving parents until one day tragedy strikes – 0n the way to a long-waited-for football match, she is involved in a car accident in which she loses her father, while her mother is severely injured and bedridden. At merely eight, Zoey’s misfortunes have only begun; moving in with her bitter aunt Agnes and narcissistic uncle Max to escape poverty, Zoey finds herself […]

Marina Dora Martino2023-06-09T22:22:44+02:00June 6th, 2023|Categories: New Releases|Tags: Thriller Book Reviews|

Review: The Cathedral Murders by J.E. Morales

Set in Peru during the activity of the communist terrorist group Shining Path in the late 80s and early 90s, The Cathedral Murders by J.E. Morales is a remarkable historical thriller with a noir core and a searing snapshot of Peruvian society, from the poorest layers of society to the highest, giving voice to people who lived through a time of deep unrest.

In Ayacucho they call the Santa Maria Hospital “the cathedral of medicine” – the best possible place to hone your skills as a doctor or nurse outside Peru’s capital. When one of the interns Isabella finds an […]

Marina Dora Martino2023-08-14T18:42:38+02:00June 2nd, 2023|Categories: Book Reviews|Tags: Thriller Book Reviews|

Bardo Zsa Zsa by C.B. Murphy and Nicolas Murphy

Combining deep reflections with cutting humor, Bardo Zsa Zsa by C.B. Murphy and Nicolas Murphy is a brilliant visionary sci-fi novel with elements of the philosophical, romantic, and satirical. Russ’s life is falling into pieces, especially since he has started being abducted by aliens, so in a deep state of depression, he decides to join the Heaven’s Gate cult, who believed they had been chosen by a group of superior, benevolent aliens for salvation. A story that is at once driven by pathos and sardonic humor – like Douglas Adams with a harder edge – Bardo Zsa Zsa is a […]

Marina Dora Martino2023-05-30T14:23:35+02:00May 25th, 2023|Categories: Editorial Reviews|